November 24, 2025

In The Know – Issue 169

A Farm Box display arranged on a red-and-white checkered tablecloth features whole apples, butternut squash, rainbow chard with green and dark red leaves, sweet potatoes, colorful cherry tomatoes in bowls, acorn squash, and blocks of locally made Colby cheese.

Farm to Campus: How the Dining Team Brings Local Harvests to Montclair

Director of Dining and Wellness, Jennifer Bostedo, shares how Montclair State University’s Farm Box program delivers local, healthy produce right to campus while teaching the joy of fresh, seasonal cooking.

University Awarded $1.7M Grant to Advance Civic Education

Diaz will discuss the intersections of culture, history and imagination in the context of the current political climate.

A collage of four therapy and service dogs at Montclair State University. Top left: Charley, a golden retriever, sits on a gymnasium floor. Top right: Fuji, a black labrador, looks up attentively while wearing a green service vest indoors. Bottom right: Pebbles, a mini chocolate labradoodle in a white and orange checkered sweater with faux pearls, lies on a red couch. Bottom left: Katherine, a yellow labrador, sits outdoors in sunlight wearing a green service vest.

Top Dogs: How Therapy and Service Animals are Changing Campus Life

Meet the four-legged friends transforming well-being, community and student life at the University.

Montclair and PSEG Announce New Education Partnership to Empower Employees with Career-Advancing Degrees

The partnership will provide PSEG employees with expanded access to higher education through discounted tuition, waived application fees and dedicated support services.

HR Updates

Tuition Waiver and Reimbursement Deadlines
Applications must be submitted by Monday, December 1 for the winter session and by Thursday, January 1 for the spring semester. Applications must be submitted to the Division of Human Resources through Workday. For step by step instructions, visit the Tuition Waivers webpage. If you have any questions, please contact askHR@montclair.edu or 973-655-7700.

Performance Management Key Dates and Reminder: AFT Professional Staff
On Wednesday, October 8 and Friday, October 31, new evaluations were launched in Workday for AFT Professional Staff contracts. Please review the upcoming key dates and actions required by viewing the AFT Professional Staff Evaluation and Reappointment Schedule 2025 – 2026.

Final PAR Submissions Due for CWA Employees
On November 3, the Final PAR was launched in Workday for Civil Service employees. If you have a direct report who is CWA, please complete your evaluation as soon as possible. All Final PARs are due by Friday, December 19.

Your Partner in What’s Next

For questions regarding 2025-2026 Performance Evaluations, please email performance@montclair.edu. A ServiceNow ticket will be created on your behalf and routed to the Learning and Talent Development team.
To review AFT Professional Staff contracts, please visit the Collectively Negotiated Agreements webpage.
View the full 2025-2026 AFT Professional Staff calendar for a printable version of additional key dates and actions per contract type.

Updates

The American Experiment: 250 Years and Beyond
In President Koppell’s final lecture this year, he will address the motto, “E pluribus unum” (Out of many, one). How do we see ourselves as one country with a strong, shared identity? This lecture is open to the public. No prior registration is required. Visit the Montclair 250 webpage for more information.

Listen to Episode 3 of MONTCLAIRconnect
Kevin Johansmeyer ’17 ’22 MS, discusses how he became interested in Physics with Marc Favata (Physics and Astronomy. At Montclair, Kevin and Marc worked together on Soundsofspacetime.org – a website that takes gravitational waves and converts them to sounds. Now, Kevin brings this tool into the classroom as a Physics teacher. He reflects on Montclair memories at “The Village”, being president of the Physics club, creating a hovercraft and more. Catch this episode and more on Hawk Plus, YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Reminders

Community Food Drive
Help address food insecurity in our community. Donations will benefit the Red Hawk Pantry which supports our entire University and the Community Foodbank of New Jersey. Contact Adam McGuire at mcguirea@montclair.edu for more information. Donations will be accepted until Monday, November 24.

Requested Items:

Canned Meat and Fish
Boxed Meals (Pasta, Rice, Cereal, Potatoes)
Shelf-Stable Milk
Canned and Packaged Meals ( Soups, Chili, Mac & Cheese)
Peanut Butter
Canned Vegetables and Fruit

Drop-Off Locations:

Overlook, 150 Clove Road, 3rd Floor
Postal Services, 147 Clove Road
University Police Headquarters

Workday Finance Training Workshops for Faculty and Staff
Attend a Workday Finance monthly training workshop to get up to speed on topics like Expenses & Travel Card Training, Procurement Lifecycle, P-Card Training and more. Contact Workday Customer Care with any questions at wccsupport@montclair.edu.

University Libraries New Archival Discovery Platform
Access physical and digital collections from both the Sprague Library and Bloomfield College Library collections, including yearbooks, newspapers, and historic collections about the University’s past.

Refer a Future Red Hawk
Undergraduate Admissions has created a Refer a Red Hawk flyer you can share with high school seniors in your network. It includes an application fee waiver code and highlights what makes Montclair such a great place to learn, grow and make an impact. Download and share the flyer to help us recruit our next class of Red Hawks.

In The News

Eva Goldfarb (Public Health) was featured in an episode of “The Pediatrician Next Door” podcast, discussing whether sex education belongs in school.
Pablo Tinio (Educational Foundations) is the primary author of a Psychology Today article about why we are drawn to art and how art elicits a wide range of emotions.
On a segment with PIX11, Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill mentioned her appearance on “Cooking with Koppell,” in which she prepared her special dish of Eggs Montclair with President Jonathan Koppell.
Klara Naszkowska (Adjunct, College of Humanities and Social Sciences) is quoted in this New York Times piece about psychoanalyst Sabina Spielrein as part of an obituary series called “Overlooked” that highlights remarkable people whose deaths went unreported in The Times.

Kudos

To Marilyn Davis (Center for Educational Innovation and Strategic Partnerships), Brigid Harrison (Political Science and Law), Richard Conway (History), Zaman Zamanian (Economics), Eden Kyse (Center for Research and Evaluation on Education and Human Services), Marshal Chaifetz (CEEL and CCHL), Jonathan Parker (Research and Sponsored Programs), Keith Strudler (CCOM), Danielle Insalco-Egan (University College), and Mark Allman (University Initiatives and Innovation) for their collaborative effort in securing the Civic Seminars Program grant.
To Elspeth Martini (History) who wrote the “US-Indigenous Relations” chapter in the fourth edition of Explaining the History of American Foreign Relations, published by Cambridge University Press. This is the first edition to include an essay on methods and approaches to writing the history of US-Indigenous relations.
To Maria Rodriguez-Gregg (Government Relations and Community Affairs), who was named to the 2025 Binje’s Hispanic Leaders list, recognizing her contributions as a community advocate, business leader and former State Assemblywoman. Her leadership continues to strengthen the University’s relationships within the state and federal government and advance our impact across New Jersey.
To Maughn Gregory (Educational Foundations) who presented a paper at the 40th Anniversary Conference of the Austrian Center of Philosophical Inquiry with Children and Youth (ACPC) at the University of Graz. The ACPC is the oldest affiliate center of the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children at Montclair State University. Graz is the official sister city of Montclair, and Graz Mayor Elke Kahr hosted a reception for the conference attendees at city hall.
To Lori Ann Palmieri (Nursing), who was featured on the second episode of Popped Culture, a series featuring snack-sized takes from the University’s academic minds. Lori Ann breaks down how research determines what’s really true about Tylenol and Autism.

Social Media Post of Note

So who was going to tell us? #redhawkpride

Photo of the Week

An Evening at the Student Center – University Photographer: John LaRosa

Quick Links

Approved Mascot Images	Montclair and Bloomfield Perks and Discounts	CARE Report Form
Request Team Rocky	Employee Assistance Program	Early Warning Program
Request Pebbles	Student Loan Repayment Support	Blue Envelope Program
Request Deacon	Lost and Found Items	988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Parking Logix App		Hemorrhage Control and Narcan Kit Training

Have an item you’d like included in Kudos or Reminders? Want to nominate a staffer for our spotlight? Use this form to tell us. Read more about our people and programs in the University News Center and in back issues of In the Know. And find out what’s happening on campus in the Events Calendar.